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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES W. BEEBE, OF EWY YORK, N. Y.

VENTILATING HATS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 19,616, dated March 16, 1858.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, JAMES IV. Brinii, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a certain new andl useful Improvement in Ventilating Hats; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure l is an inverted plat of a hat with my improved ventilator; Fig. 2 a vertical section taken at the line A, a of Fig. l; and Fig. 3 a horizontal section taken at the line B, Z) of Fig. 2.

The same letters indicate like parts in all the figures. A

'Various plans have been suggested and tried for Ventilating hats, all of which are defective. Apertures in the top alone will not induce the required ventilation, and the making of apertures in the crown to admit air near the rim to supply the circulation injures the strength, beauty, and durability of the hat; and besides it fails to keep that part of the head cool which is in contact with the sweat leather.

To avoid the obvious defects of the above named plans an invention has been made which consists in the use of a forehead strap that passes through holes in the front part of the sweat leather, and drawn so tight as to leave open space between it and the front part of the sweat leather, so that when the hat is placed on the head the said strap is in contact with the forehead thereby leaving open space between the strap and fore part of the sweat for the free entrance of currents of air. And although this plan is effectual for ventilation it is objectionable for many obvious reasons not necessary to enumerate. And the object of my said invention is to avoid the defects of the said plan by an improvement thereon which consists in making the sweat leather, or inner lining of the hat with a perforated flanch like rim at its lower edge, the outer edge of the said flanch being secured to the hat so that the sweat leather or other lining will be held at some distance from the crown of the hat that air may enter through the said perforations and circulate freely between the crown of the hat and the sweat leather or other lining.

In the accompanying drawings a) represents the body of a hat which may be of any of the usual forms, and (o) the sweat leather which is of t-he usual form except the lower edge along the front of the hat, and there it is bent in the form of a flanch (o), with the outer edge of the said flanch sewed or otherwise secured to the hat, thereby leaving an open space (cl) between the sweat and the front part of the hat by reason of the outer circumference of the sweat being less than the inner circumference of the crown of the hat. The flanch (c) of the sweat is pierced with numerous holes for the admission of air to the open space (d). The sweat is lined with cambric or other cloth at (g) to prevent stretching.

The flanch (c) commences at the sides of the hat and is gradually widened to lthe front where it is made widest; but if desired the said fianch may be extended all around or to any extent less t-han the whole circumference of the hat although I prefer the proportions represented in the accompanying drawings.

From the foregoing it will be seen that when the hat is worn there will be an open space left between the sweat and the crown of the hat, to which space air will have free access through the perforations in the flanch of the sweat, which air thus admitted may escape through perforations (f) in the top, or through any other ventilator in or near the top. In this way a free circulation will be effected to keep the inside of the hat cool.

The sweat can be made of leather, or any other suitable material, and lined so that it will not stretch, or it may be made entirely of material which will not stretch; and it can be secured to the hat in any suitable manner; the flanch, as before stated, may be made of greater or less extent, and the perforations in the said flanch of any desired size or number.

I do not wish to be understood as making claim broadly to the introduction of a current or currents of air between the head and the hat, admitted from below, as that has been before effected in the manner before indicated. I am aware also that it has been proposed'to ventilate hats by put-ting a metallic ring inside of the hat leaving an open space between the two for the circulation of air, and that the said ring has been formed with a flanch connected with the brim of the hat, and with perforations in the said flanch perforated lanch for the admission of air to the space between the hat and the inner lining. But

What I do claim as my invention and del5 sire to secure by Letters Patent is- Making the sweat of leather, or any of the equivalent substances usually employed for hat sweats, Wit-h a flanch pierced With numerous small holes, combined With and 20 attached to the brim of the hat substantially as described so as to leave open space for the free circulation of air between the sweat and the hat.

JAMES W. BEEBE. Vtnesses:

WM. A. BISHOP, JOEL B. WILSON. 

